清代四大五百罗汉堂雕塑的图像分析

Iconographic Analysis of the Sculptures in Four Halls of Five Hundred Arhats in the Qing Dynasty

五百罗汉信仰兴起于晚唐五代时期浙江天台山,伴随出现相关绘画和雕塑活动。南宋江阴军乾明院五百罗汉尊号的出现,促使名像合一的五百罗汉图像体系形成。在南宋都城杭州创建的净慈寺五百罗汉堂,以田字殿结构体现罗汉救世思想,成为后世营造典范。清代中期以来,因乾隆皇帝倡导,一度衰歇的罗汉堂再度兴盛,除京畿地区敕修殿堂外,更多见于长江流域及以南地区,与其地禅宗兴盛的背景不无关系。现存清代四大罗汉堂分别存在于禅宗、律宗和汉藏融合的佛教寺院。罗汉殿堂皆位居寺院中轴线一侧,建筑结构继承净慈寺田字殿式样,图像布局具有高度一致性。堂内雕塑以佛像为主尊,五百罗汉以环绕方式逐层排列。诸菩萨、神僧与护法像等大多位居田字殿中轴线上,与五百罗汉像组合配置,在强调罗汉住世、传法、救济众生的同时,也表述了菩萨下化众生、禅宗祖师传灯、神僧信仰,以及往生净土和成就法身等多种思想观念。灵山一会、天台山祝颂等题额楹联,反映了佛教徒再造五百罗汉道场的意图。

The belief of Five Hundred Arhats originated from the Tiantai Mountain in Zhejiang province during the late Tang Dynasty through the Five Dynasties.At the same era,paintings and sculptures of Five hundred Arhats appeared.In the South Song Dynasty,after a list of names for all 500 Arhats inscribed on the Qianming Courtyard Stone Tablet at Jiangyin County,the consistent name-icon system thus formed.The Hall of 500 Arhats at the Jingci Temple established in Hangzhou,the capital of the South Song Dynasty,was regarded as an architectural model for later ages with its constructional layout being in the four-in-one-square shape(Chinese character E9)that stands for salvation ideal of Arhatship.The declining activities of building Arhat Halls rose to prosperity by an advocator Emperor Qianlong in the middle Qing Dynasty;apart from the royal Arhat halls in the capital and its environs,more Arhat Halls emerged in the Changjiang River Basin and to its south,which is associated with the Chan cult at those districts.The Four extant Halls of Five Hundred Arhats in the Qing Dynasty separately situated in the Buddhist temples of Zen sect,Vinaya sect,also exists in the temple combined Tibetan and Chinese Buddhism.The halls always stand on the left or right side of the central axis in their temples.Their architectural style follow Jingci Arhat Hall without exception,and their layout of images are almost identical.Inside the halls,the Buddha statues always lie in the center,circled by rows of 500 Arhats.On the central axis of the square situated images of Bodhisattvas,supernatural monks and Dharma guards,etc..They were associated with the 500 Arhats accordingly which not only convey the thoughts of Arhats’missions such as staying in the world with no nirvana,transmitting the Buddha truth and salvation of the mortals,but also represents many other kinds of ideas.Such as guiding sentient beings by Bodhisattvas,passing on the lamp by Chan masters,supernatural monks worship,and the concept of entering into the Pure Land and accomplishing the Dharmakaya.The inscriptions"ling-shan-yi-hui"(a gathering at Spiritual Vulture Peak),and"tian-tai-ying-zhen"(Arhats in the Tiantai Mountain),which were frequently found on the horizontal inscribed boards and couplets in the Arhat halls,reflects Buddhists’purpose to rebuild an ashram for 500 Arhats in reality.